And now it's up on Craigslist for $1100.... hope you at least Did something, like check the valve adjustments, clean the carbs, change the fork oil, etc... Bad MC Karma to just flip bikes without making them better. And no, changing the engine oil doesn't count.

From the op:
Pretty much, all I did was wash it, wax it, changed the oil, checked the air filter, put in a new battery. It starts up just fine, runs very nicely. That parallel twin is a real sweet motor.

I'm not sure I understand , why some people on these boards think it's bad to profit on flipping a bike . Why is a bike any different than a car or a hammer ? I personally do it all the time , you know , buy low sell high . Maybe they are jealous because they time after time lose their asses on bikes , they want every one else to do the same ? As if there was nobility is losing money .

People who buy and sell take risks , they can win or they can lose . They bought from a willing seller and sold to a willing buyer , what's wrong with that ? Nothing in my book , I admire the guy for his initiative .

I just found this at one of those places you donate vehicles to. It was donated by a 75 year old. The shop boss enjoyed riding it for a few months. Snagged it for $1150. It has a few sniggles but I think it will be a good one.

1988 BMW K100RS

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$1,150 for a running K is a steal - and that one looks pretty nice. Way to go.

I'm not sure I understand , why some people on these boards think it's bad to profit on flipping a bike . Why is a bike any different than a car or a hammer ? I personally do it all the time , you know , buy low sell high . Maybe they are jealous because they time after time lose their asses on bikes , they want every one else to do the same ? As if there was nobility is losing money .

People who buy and sell take risks , they can win or they can lose . They bought from a willing seller and sold to a willing buyer , what's wrong with that ? Nothing in my book , I admire the guy for his initiative .

TheReaper!

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I think the problem is not flipping the bike but doing nothing to improve the bike beforehand. It seems just buying a bike, washing it, and checking the fluids before putting it up for sale is unethical--Especially if he bought the bike with the intention of selling it again.

An ethical flip involves doing something to make the bike better than when you bought it. So in this case if the guy had replaced rather than simply checked the fluids, he would have an ethical flip.

capitalism- what do you want? i think the issue here for me is that one brags about getting a good deal then turns it for profit. its not unethical, its.. "Minikui" which is what comes to mind- im not sure English has a proper term. i guess: "in bad taste"

when i do similar deals i keep quiet about it. that might make me even more unethical than those honest enough post it about, but it reserves a semblance of civility- and makes both low seller, and higher buyer (and me) feel good about the exchanges. and in the end, money is just paper, but working a deal where everyone is satisfied is a good thing right?

capitalism- what do you want? i think the issue here for me is that one brags about getting a good deal then turns it for profit. its not unethical, its.. "Minikui" which is what comes to mind- im not sure English has a proper term. i guess: "in bad taste"

when i do similar deals i keep quiet about it. that might make me even more unethical than those honest enough post it about, but it reserves a semblance of civility- and makes both low seller, and higher buyer (and me) feel good about the exchanges. and in the end, money is just paper, but working a deal where everyone is satisfied is a good thing right?

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I've paid both more and less than what other people would or have paid for similar products. The way I look at it, with most products, neither side is going to complete a deal unless they are satisfied with the end results.

If you manage to turn a profit on a bike, the more power to you, as long as you aren't being deceptive. Even with that, it is "Let the buyer beware."

I guess, in the eyes of some, all dealers are, at their core, unethical. They take trade-ins, do little or nothing to a vehicle and then sell if for more than what they paid for it.

I don't see dealers doing that as unethical in the least. Why would some apply a different standard to private parties who flip bikes?

If someone has a bike listed for or sells a bike for less than what the supposed market value is then that's their decision. If a flipper didn't buy it at that price then someone who intended to own/ride it would. Doesn't that make that person equally unethical in that they somehow "stole" from the buyer by paying less than market value? In my world it doesn't.

If I bought a bike for a grand, did nothing to it, and sold it for two grand the next day with no deception involved then I'd consider it completely ethical regardless of what some pansy stranger on The Interwebz thinks.

I guess, in the eyes of some, all dealers are, at their core, unethical. They take trade-ins, do little or nothing to a vehicle and then sell if for more than what they paid for it.

I don't see dealers doing that as unethical in the least. Why would some apply a different standard to private parties who flip bikes?

If someone has a bike listed for or sells a bike for less than what the supposed market value is then that's their decision. If a flipper didn't buy it at that price then someone who intended to own/ride it would. Doesn't that make that person equally unethical in that they somehow "stole" from the buyer by paying less than market value? In my world it doesn't.

If I bought a bike for a grand, did nothing to it, and sold it for two grand the next day with no deception involved then I'd consider it completely ethical regardless of what some pansy stranger on The Interwebz thinks.

I think the problem is not flipping the bike but doing nothing to improve the bike beforehand. It seems just buying a bike, washing it, and checking the fluids before putting it up for sale is unethical--Especially if he bought the bike with the intention of selling it again.

An ethical flip involves doing something to make the bike better than when you bought it. So in this case if the guy had replaced rather than simply checked the fluids, he would have an ethical flip.

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Then buying and selling any thing in your book , without adding value would some how be UN-ethical ? With all due respect to a fellow biker , I couldn't disagree more . When the building business went south a few years ago , I liquidated numerous construction companies . I profited handsomely from it . I took the risk , the builders got badly needed cash , and again I profited from my taking on the RISK !

When we go to work every day , some one either ourselves or our employer has to profit from it . If there are no profits , there are no jobs .

Lets say for the moment that Joe has lost his job , and can't find another one due to the economic conditions . Now lets say he creates his own job by buying and selling things . Now lets say he profits from this venture enough to support his family . Is this UN-ethical ?

The answer is NO ! He is providing a buyer for the seller , then he is providing some thing the a buyer wants . It may take several months to re-sell what ever it is , but he lives with that . He also lives with the fact that he could lose money . In the end the flipper takes on all the risk , he may win and he may lose . In the interim he has provided a seller with cash , and provided a buyer with an item . The two key words here are SERVICE & RISK .

i think this recent discussion is the reason i haven't posted many of the bikes i've traded in the past couple of years.

every time i buy a 'dead' bike that's been sitting around deteriorating in someone's garage i spent time searching it out, burning gas and wearing out my truck driving to it. if i don't buy it nobody reimburses me for my time and money spent. if i do buy it i'm taking a chance; there may be unforeseen problems that cost me extra to fix, i may never find a buyer for the 'right' amount, it costs money for garage space, tools, etc.
sometimes i'll make out like a 'bandit', sometimes i may lose money. i've ended up taking bikes to a shop if i'm stumped. nobody pays me for my learning time either. if i calculated my time spent at 'pro shop' labor rates i'd probably be on the losing end of many transactions.

I've had a few chances to buy bikes for extremely low prices, but passed because I knew I didn't need them, or have space, and I was just going to flip them. Usually the owner was a widow or older person who didn't know much about the market, or how much that old BMW r bike was worth. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, and I don't think any less of anyone else doing it, I just didn't feel right about, so i passed.

Well, this used to be a cool thread. Seriously, if someone can flip a bike and make some cash, good for them. But ..... 9 times out of 10, even if you are sure you can flip an older bike, you won't come out on the deal. Old stuff will nickel and dime you to death, and there are always so many "little things" that you can't anticipate.

I recently bought a nice pair of low mile 83 interceptors for cheap, and I have since got them both running, cleaned up, tuned up, with new tires batteries, etc etc. I have sold one and plan to sell the other soon.

I bought the bikes for 1650 for the pair. Sold one for 2100, plan to sell the 2nd for 1500. Add up the parts I've put on, and my labor will be worth about $5/hr. Making money was never the point though either. 90% of my motivation is that I enjoy doing it, and owning a piece of motorcycling history, if even for a short time, is just cool!